Spanish national arrested in Guayaquil with 18 kg cocaine bound for Germany

Ecuadorian authorities arrested a Spanish citizen at José Joaquín de Olmedo Airport in Guayaquil after a drug-sniffing dog alerted to 18.05 kg of cocaine concealed in her luggage. The shipment was destined for Germany, continuing the established pattern of narcotics trafficking from Ecuador's Pacific coast to Europe. The arrest underscores ongoing interdiction efforts but does not signal a shift in trafficking dynamics.